Airports & Airlines
Cambodia has two international airports: Phnom Penh’s Pochentong airport and Siem Reap airport, which serves visitors to Angkor. Flights to Cambodia are quite limited, and most of them are from neighboring capitals. Bangkok has the most flights to Phnom Penh, and it is usually possible to get on a flight with any of the airlines at short notice. I f you are heading to Cambodia for a short holiday and want a minimum of fuss, Thai Airways International (THAI) offers the best connections from major cities in Europe, the USA and Australia. Other regional centers with flights to Cambodia are Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vientiane and Guangzhou. There are no direct flights to or from Australia, Europe or the USA, but both Air France and Aeroflot offer indirect services via Paris and Moscow respectively.
Buying Tickets
When buying airline tickets, it is always worth shopping around widely as many agents have many deals available with many airlines. Quotes for the same flight can differ significantly because one agent imposes a hefty commission while another gets a lower price from the airline. The time of year has a major impact on flight prices. If you are starting out from Europe, the USA or Australia, figure on prices rising dramatically over Christmas and during July and August, and dropping significantly during lax periods of business like February, June or October. Thailand is the most convenient gateway from which to arrive in Cambodia. In Bangkok, the Banglamphu area, in particular Khao San Rd, is a good place to buy tickets for Cambodia.
Travelers with Special Needs
If you have any special needs, you should let the airline know as soon as possible and make a point of reminding it when you reconfirm and when you check in. Airlines can cater for victims of accidents, for passengers traveling with babies, for vegetarians and for almost any other needs, provided they are given notice. Children under the age of two travel for 10% of the standard fare, or free with some airlines. ‘Sky cots’, nappies (diapers) and baby food can be provided with some advance notice. Children aged between two and 12 generally travel at between half and two-thirds the full fare they are allowed a baggage allowance.
Departure Tax
There is a hefty departure tax of US$20 on all international flights out of Pochentong airport in Phnom Penh. Well, someone has to pay for the damage inflicted during the fighting of July 1997. From Siem Reap, the international departure tax is US$ 10.
The USA
Competition between Asian airlines flying to and through South-East Asia has resulted in discounted tickets. Good places to start looking are the travel sections of daily newspapers such as the New York TImes, the Chicago Tribune, the LA Times, or whatever your local newspaper is. Agents such as Council Travel and Student Travel Network are well established and have offices in most major US cities. Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) and STA Travel are other travel agent chains that are well represented.
From the US west coast, fares to Bangkok cost around US$700/1000 one-way/return, However, promotional fares are sometimes as cheap as US$600 return. Flights from the east coast are more expensive and it might work out cheaper to fly to London and arrange a cheap flight onward from there.
Canada
Check with the travel sections of newspapers like the Vancouver Sun and the Toronto Globe & Mail for details of agents and the ticket prices they offer. Travel CUTS is probably the most well established agency chain, and it has offices throughout Canada. The frequency of flights between Hong Kong and Vancouver means it may work out cheaper to go via Hong Kong to Phnom Penh if in a rush. Travelers from the eastern side of Canada might want to consider flying to London and then arranging a cheap flight from there to Bangkok.
Australia
The best agencies to check ticket prices with in Australia are STA Travel and Flight Centre. It may be a good idea to compare the prices they give you with prices posted in the travel sections of daily newspapers such as The Australian, The Age in Melbourne and the Sydney Morning Herald, among others. There are usually peak and off-peak rates for flights from Australia to South-East Asia. The peak season applies during the December to January school holiday period – flights can often be heavily booked at this time as well as more expensive. Return fares from Sydney and Melbourne to Bangkok cost from A$700 to A$900.
New Zealand
Tickets between New Zealand and Bangkok are available with a number of major- airlines. Prices start at about US$5001750 for one-way rectum.
The UK
The Sunday editions of most of the major daily newspapers have travel sections with advertising for ticket prices to South-East Asia. The London listings magazine Time Out is also a good place to start your search.
The UK is one of the world’s best places for picking up cheap tickets, and some of the best agencies for budget flights to Southeast Asia are Campus Travel, Trail finders and STA Travel (Travel by Air in Cambodia). Many budget fares are with airlines that fly .via Eastern Europe or the Middle East. Round-trip prices of around UK£350 are available with airlines such as Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Balkan, Kuwait Airways and Qatar Airways. A number of cheap airlines offer a free stopover in their home city – Czech Airlines is a good option as you get the opportunity to visit Prague (Travel by Air in Cambodia). One-way flights start at about UK£200 (Travel by Air in Cambodia). Return flights to other Asian gateways are often a little more expensive, starting at about UK£400, although flight prices to Hong Kong seem to have tumbled in the wake of the handover to China (Travel by Air in Cambodia). It is also worth keeping an eye out for promotional fares during the slow periods of business in February and June.
Asia
All travelers going to Cambodia will have to either pass through or fly from one of the regional air centers: Bangkok is the most likely option, but not the only one. If you are looking to arrange tickets in Cambodia for onward travel, it is cheaper to buy from a travel agent than through the airline. See Information in the Phnom Penh chapter for recommended travel agents. Flights between Phnom Penh and Bangkok are available daily with THAI, Royal Air Cambodge (RAC) and Bangkok Airways (Travel by Air in Cambodia). RAC charges US$125/240 one-way/return; THAI charges US$1421240; and Bangkok Airways flights are US$1421284. Bangkok Airways and RAC also fly daily to Siem Reap, charging US$155/3l O. There is talk of direct flights starting up between Phuket and Siem Reap, so keep an eye out for developments if this route suits you. All these prices were quoted in Phnom Penh. When purchasing a ticket in Bangkok, you will find prices are cheaper with fares starting at about 3000/5500B (baht).
Vietnam Airlines does the short hop from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh for US$65/l25; RAC charges US$651130. Flights to Hanoi are expensive as you get charged the price of the ticket to Ho Chi Minh City plus the foreigner price of a domestic ticket from there to Hanoi, making it essentially two separate journeys (Travel by Air in Cambodia). Dragon air flies between Hong Kong and Phnom Penh, charging US$300/440. RAC has flights to Guangzhou in southern China for US$250/390.
Silk Air and RAC have flights from Singapore to Phnom Penh. RAC tickets cost about US$250/360, while Silk Air flights are about US$260/440. Flights between Kuala Lumpur and Phnom Penh are available with Malaysia Airlines for US$182/3 13 and RAC for US$190/300. Flights between Vientiane and Phnom Penh cost US$125/250 with Lao Aviation and RAC.
Air Travel Glossary
Cancellation Penalties If you have to cancel or change a discounted ticket, there are often heavy penalties involved; insurance can sometimes be taken out against these penalties. Some airlines impose penalties on regular tickets as well, particularly against ‘no-show’ passengers. Courier Fares Businesses often need to send urgent documents or freight securely and quickly. Courier companies hire people to accompany the package through customs and, in return, offer a discount ticket which is sometimes a phenomenal bargain. However, you may have to surrender all your baggage allowance and take only carry-on luggage. Full Fares Airlines traditionally offer 1st class (coded F), business class (coded J) and economy class (coded Y) tickets. These days there are so many promotional and discounted fares available that few passengers pay full economy fare. Lost Tickets If you lose your airline ticket an airline will usually treat it like a travelers cheque and, after inquiries, issue you with another one. Legally, however, an airline is entitled to treat it like cash and if you lose it then it’s gone forever (Travel by Air in Cambodia). Take good care of your tickets.
Onward Tickets An entry requirement for many countries is that you have a ticket out of the country If you’re unsure of your next move, the easiest solution is to buy the cheapest onward ticket to a neighboring country or a ticket from a reliable airline which can later be refunded if you do not use it.
Open-Jaw Tickets These are return tickets where you fly out to one place but return from another . If available, this can save you backtracking to your arrival point.
Overbooking Since every flight has some passengers who fail to show up, airlines often book more passengers than they have seats. Usually excess passengers make up for the no shows, but occasionally somebody gets ‘bumped’ onto the next available flight. Guess who it is most likely to be? The passengers who check in late (Travel by Air in Cambodia). Promotional Fares These are officially discounted fares, available from travel agencies or direct from the airline. Recombination If you don’t reconfirm your flight at least 72 hours prior to departure, the airline may delete your name from the passenger list. Ring to find out if your airline requires reconfirmation .
Restrictions Discounted tickets often have various restrictions on them – such as needing to be paid for in advance and incurring a penalty to be altered. Others are restrictions on the minimum and maximum period you must be away. Round-the-World Tickets RTW tickets give you a limited period (usually a year) in which to circumnavigate the globe. You can go anywhere the carrying airlines go, as long as you don’t backtrack. The number of stopovers or total number of separate flights is decided before you set off and they usually cost a bit more than a basic return flight. Transferred Tickets Airline tickets cannot be transferred from one person to another. Travelers sometimes try to sell the return half of their ticket, but officials can ask you to prove that you are the person named on the ticket . On an international flight tickets are compared with passports. Travel Periods Ticket prices vary with the time of year. There is a low (off-peak) season and a high (peak) season, and often a low-shoulder season and a high-shoulder season as well. Usually the fare depends on your outward flight – if you depart in the high season and return in the low season, you pay the high-season fare.